Carefully, they cut through the man-tall grass in front of them.
Diluc poked his head out, glanced around cautiously, then turned back and said:
"Safe!"
Right behind him, Tartaglia shrugged helplessly, his face full of confusion.
"I just don't get it! Even if our strength has been greatly suppressed, we're still fully geared, aren't we?"
"Mr. Ryen and Miss Ganyu even have staffs—do we really need to sneak around this carefully?"
Hearing this, Ryen didn't get upset. He just smiled warmly at Tartaglia and said softly:
"Once you run straight into a Knight Phantom and it blasts you head-on, sending you flying, burning through your Totem of Undying in the process—"
"—then you'll understand why being careful matters."
Tartaglia spread his hands, sighing helplessly:
"Come on, Mr. Ryen, that can't be necessary. I'm carrying a light machine gun, after all!"
"Well…" Ryen nodded thoughtfully.
"What if you suddenly run into a Druid Mage who ambushes you with a spell? You'd learn caution then."
Tartaglia was at a loss for words but didn't argue further.
In truth, deep down, he thought Druid Mages had zero battle sense and were just wasting such a magical staff.
But Tartaglia also had to admit:
He could look down on them, but he couldn't withstand even a single cast of their spells.
With only one Totem of Undying hanging on him, Tartaglia figured it was best not to waste such a treasure.
Beside them, ever since Ganyu had obtained the Frostbinder Staff, her face had been glowing with joy the entire time.
Of course, to be precise, her happiness wasn't from the staff.
It was from the Troll Ring.
To be honest, the thing was ugly—absolutely not the kind of ring a normal young woman would wear.
But…
It was given to her by Ryen.
That made it priceless.
So, even though the Troll Ring came with countless powers to enhance her strength, what Ganyu valued most was still—
That this ring was from Ryen.
An engagement gift!
Hu Tao and Ningguang looked at Ganyu with open envy.
To be fair, if that ring had been given to them, even with its power boost, they wouldn't normally bother to wear something so hideous.
After all, Acid Rain was already powerful enough on its own—it was an advanced spell.
The Troll Ring's added poison effect wasn't that big a deal.
But if it came from Ryen, then it was different.
No matter how ugly, they would wear it every single day.
Without a ring, you were just a girlfriend.
With a ring—you were a fiancée.
Naturally, none of them would mind taking that next step in their relationship with Ryen.
"Stop staring at the ring."
Just as Ganyu was about to raise her hand again to admire her ring, Ryen chuckled and patted her on the head.
"Stay focused. We've already entered the deepest part of the Spooky Forest."
"A battle might start at any moment."
Hearing that, Ganyu stuck out her tongue, then quickly straightened up, gripping her staff warily.
The ground around them had now completely turned into a dull yellowish-brown. Looking around, all they could see were birch trees and strange black trees of unknown origin.
Everywhere stood man-high shrubs, and under the eternal night sky, it felt like a terrifying dead end where man-eating monsters could be lurking in the dark.
Tattered spider webs hung here and there, giving the entire place a broken and eerie atmosphere.
To the left and right stretched endless shrubs, but it was impossible to tell how far they went. For the moment, they had no idea which way to go.
"Should I fly up and take a look?"
Cloud Retainer asked softly, but Ryen shook his head.
"Best not to. Do you hear the sound of a baby crying?"
Everyone held their breath and listened closely. Sure enough, faint wails echoed in the distance.
Having ventured into the Nether more than once, they instantly recognized the sound—Ghasts.
"It's the Knight Phantoms? We've already reached the area?" Hu Tao's eyes lit up in anticipation as she scanned the surroundings.
Ryen nodded slightly.
"We're just about to enter the range of the Knight Phantoms. If you fly now, you won't be able to fight back—you'll just become a target."
"But since we can hear their cries, it means the graveyard isn't far."
"Let's look around."
With that, Ryen took the lead, stepping forward onto the only relatively open path. The road ahead was pitch-black, nothing visible beyond the mist.
Klee and Nahida were already dozing in Ryen's arms. The eternal night of this forest clearly made them uncomfortable.
Even Paimon was sprawled across his shoulder, somehow managing to snore softly without falling off.
Ningguang and the others had offered to hold the children for a while, but how could Ryen possibly complain about being surrounded by such a heartwarming "daughter's embrace"?
Carefully, the group pressed onward. They passed countless towering black trees when, all of a sudden, far in the distance, a jack-o'-lantern appeared—hanging high on a wooden fence, glowing with a faint, eerie orange light through the fog.
Ryen's eyes lit up. He lowered his voice and said:
"We've found it! Watch out for Knight Phantom ambushes!"
Everyone nodded, loading their weapons and closing ranks around Ryen.
Since both his arms were occupied holding Klee and Nahida, Ryen naturally couldn't fight. Not that he planned on joining the battle anyway.
"Druid Mage!"
Suddenly, Lumine called out softly. The whole party instantly tensed up, weapons aimed in front of her.
But after waiting a long while, nothing happened.
Embarrassed, Lumine rubbed her cheek and mumbled:
"I just wanted to say a little prayer beforehand…"
"…."
Ryen rolled his eyes, then tilted his head toward the sky.
~~----------------------
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